Wednesday January 23 2013

20,000 sign petition for tougher laws on child sacrifice

In Summary

Over 20,000 people have signed a petition that seeks to compel Parliament to enact tougher laws, provided for life imprisonment against culprits of child sacrifice.

The petition, part of the Jubilee campaign, is seeking to reduce rampant cases of child sacrifice which have led to mutilations and deaths of children.

Addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday, the activists, comprising of evangelists and child rights advocates, said the move seeking stringent laws would also sensitise the masses to appreciate that get wealth is not through child sacrifice.

Public urged“We acknowledge the steps already taken by the government to tackle this issue, but we invite the public to join us in support of these efforts. We want to ensure that justice prevails whenever such cases are reported to the authorities,” said Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga, the head of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, a local organisation advocating for the plight of youngsters.

He said the campaign was aimed at rallying government and other nations worldwide to understand that there was ‘a serious issue happening in Uganda’ and needed the attention of the international community.

“The international community needs to realise that this not a problem of Uganda alone, but it is now being exported to other countries; although its more rampant in Uganda,” said Pastor Sewakiryanga, and if the right environment for the children growth is not provided for, then, there is no future for our country,” he added.